A Christmas Bet
by blue252
Summary: Castle and Kate make a Christmas party bet at Remy's. Christmas Castle/Beckett fluff. Now COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**_Melting_**

****_Just a quick note: I don't know how long this is going to turn out to be. Just a cute idea I had. Please review and let me know if you think I should keep going :) Hope you enjoy._

_**Disclaimer:** These amazing characters aren't mine unfortunately. _

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><p>"You're so going down, Castle!" Kate Beckett exclaimed. She was ready to wipe that cocky grin off of his face as he challenged her to a bet to see who could finish their milkshake the quickest.<p>

"You know, Beckett, you could just save yourself the brain freeze AND the loss you're about incur at the expense of my expert milkshake chugging skills," he retorted.

"No way, Castle! The real question is what am I going to win in this bet when I embarrass you about 45 seconds from now?" she asked.

"Hmmm," he mumbled as he pondered that for a minute. "What is it that you want from me, Detective?" he said with just a hint of deviousness in his eyes.

Kate rolled her eyes at him and said, "I should know better than to let _you_ set the terms on a bet….How about when I kick your butt, you have to dress up in a full blown elf costume to Lanie's Christmas party this weekend."

Rick laughed and said, "And when _I_kick _your_butt, you have to dress up in a _sexy_ elf costume to the Christmas party."

Kate paused and momentarily regretted her competitive streak. But, she wasn't about to give Castle the satisfaction of seeing her back down from the challenge. "Deal!" she said. "But try not to be too embarrassed when the boys start asking if you if 'Smiling's your favorite, Ricky the Elf.'" And with those final words she started gulping down her milkshake.

Rick groaned and immediately started chugging his own shake. But, because Kate had gotten a head start on him, he wasn't sure this was going to turn out very well.

Meanwhile, Kate was regretting this challenge more and more. The milkshakes at Remy's were huge and Rick had been right when he mentioned brain freeze. But, she was determined not to be stuck in a sexy elf costume in front of all her co-workers so she kept gulping until she emptied her glass.

"No fair, Beckett!" Rick whined. "You totally cheated!"

"I'm sorry you were so busy picturing me as a sexy elf you got a late start," she teased. "But, if it makes you feel any better I have massive brain freeze at the moment."

"How bout you dress up _with_me instead, Ms. Cheater?" Rick tried to reason.

"Not a chance, Castle." she replied. "I'm sure you'll look cute in green, though," she said with a wink.

Whoa Kate, she thought to herself. Was she flirting with him? She really must have had brain freeze. She needed to snap out of this. But, then again, they had been spending a lot more time together lately.

"Whatever," Rick grumbled as he signaled to the waiter that they were ready for their check. "Can we at least go to the party together?" he asked. "I mean it'd be the least you could do since you had to resort to being sneaky to beat me," he added.

Kate hesitated. Was he asking her to be his date? Or was this just another simple friend thing. Kate was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Castle paying for their food until he signed the check and was speaking to her in a worried voice, "Beckett, I was just kidding, you won fair and square I take it back!"

"What? Oh, sorry, wait….did you just pay for my food? Castle, I _told_ you I was treating you for helping come through with that lead on the Reynolds case!"

"It's already taken care of, Beckett! See, I'm even the perfect gentlemen in the wake of defeat!" he joked.

Kate rolled her eyes at him but decided to just let it go. She'd learned long ago that Castle wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to his idea of chivalry. And she couldn't deny that while she placed a huge value on her independence, she was becoming more and more comfortable letting him take control occasionally.

"So…you still didn't answer my question, Detective." Rick said, snapping her out of her thoughts again. "Can we at least attend this party together?" he asked giving her those big blue puppy dog eyes that she was used to seeing at least once or twice a day.

"Fine, Castle," she agreed, "But, I'm _not_dressing up!" she said as they walked out the restaurant together.

She didn't notice the grin that had spread across Rick's face as he placed an arm on her back and guided them out the door. He couldn't wait for this party. He may have lost their silly bet but, he was already making plans to make Lanie's Christmas party a night they wouldn't forget.

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><p>Continue? YesNo? I appreciate any feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys so much for all the reviews and encouragement to continue the story! Here is Chapter 2 :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

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><p>Kate rolled over and groaned when she heard a knock on her door. "What time is it?" she asked herself as she blinked her eyes open for the first time of the day. The alarm clock stared back at her with the numbers 8:35 a.m. Who in the world was at her door at 8:35 a.m. on a Tuesday morning?<p>

Usually Kate would have long been awake and 2 cups of coffee deep by this time. However, after solving the Reynolds case the previous day, the Captain had told her to take a day off. For once, Kate didn't argue. If "Sir" Captain Gates was feeling a little holiday spirit, she wanted to take advantage. She'd gone to bed as soon as she'd gotten home the evening before. Too many late nights and early mornings always led her to the eventual crash. Plus, she'd been so full and content from burgers and shakes at Remy's. It made for the perfect sleep.

But now it was 8:35 a.m. and someone was banging on her door interrupting her lazy morning of recovery. Kate begrudgingly got out of bed and pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail. Before she could get to the door, she heard a familiar voice yell…. "Beckett, are you in there?" and then, "Kate?"

Castle, of course. "Ugh," she thought, "Why is Castle at my door when we don't have a case?" She looked out the peephole to confirm that the ruggedly handsome writer was, indeed standing in front of her door, holding two cups of coffee, and looking entirely too chipper for his own good. He also looked…_good_. Instead of his usual button up shirt under a black jacket, he had on a light blue sweater and had his coat draped over his arm. A light blue sweater that brought out every speck of blue in his eyes…"Whoa!" she thought. "Why am I thinking about Castle's eyes?"

She paused momentarily, suddenly worried about her appearance. What had she put on to sleep in last night? She had been so tired, she'd grabbed…. "Oh, shit!" she muttered. There was no way he wasn't going to notice it. She was wearing one of Castle's blue pinstriped button up shirts over her yoga pants. He'd let her borrow it when she'd lost the majority of her belongings in the explosion a couple years ago and she'd somehow wound up keeping it. Except that in addition to keeping it, it'd become her go-to sleepwear. It was just so damn comfortable and if she were honest with herself, it was kind of comforting to her. A sort of reminder that when she needed him, he always seemed to be there.

And also, annoyingly enough, he was there when she would rather still be curled up in her warm bed in that blue button up shirt. She was stuck now though. No time to change out of the shirt and no time to make herself look any more awake. "Pull yourself together, Kate!" she mumbled to herself. She took a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever this morning visit was about.

He had just put his fist up to knock again as Kate swung open the door. "Detective Beckett!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Could it be that I'm actually up and awake before _you_ this morning?"

Kate glared at him and said, "One of those coffees better be for me since you're knocking on my door before 9 a.m., Castle. On _my__…__day...off_!"

He grinned at her. If it was possible he looked even more chipper than he had the moment before. And then she could see the recognition on his face as he noticed what she was wearing for the first time. He gave her an evil grin and said, "Of course I brought you coffee. And, I'll give you the coffee if, my dear detective, you tell me why exactly you're wearing my shirt right now." Then he winked at her.

"What are you talking about, Castle? _Your_ shirt? I've had this for a long time." she stammered as she tried to play it off.

He kept grinning at her with a smug look on his face. "Yes, I _know_ you've had it for a long time because I gave it to you a long time ago." "I just figured it'd be in the back of your closet somewhere by now." He shrugged. "Lucky shirt." He winked at her again.

Kate blushed. Yes, blushed. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she come up with a logical excuse? Oh, right. Maybe because it wasn't very logical that she'd still be sleeping in Castle's shirt from two years ago. "Whatever, Castle, if you don't give me my coffee, I'm not letting you in, and by your apparent energy level this morning you seem to have something you're just dying to talk to me about."

He laughed and then tried, unsuccessfully, to erase the grin on his face. "Ok, ok the coffee is all yours. But, you really should work on your poker face the next time you try to come up with a story for me."

Kate greedily took the coffee from his hand and took a sip. It was like tasting heaven. How could she stay annoyed at a man who brought her something so good. And who looked so damn good in that blue sweater. She ignored that last thought and motioned for him to come in. "So why ARE you here, Castle? Did you already get bored in the last 16 hours without a case? I figured you'd be Christmas shopping with Alexis or something today."

"Alexis already has plans to go out shopping with her friends today and I knew you had the day off…and I am sort of in need of an elf costume now…and I thought maybe the person who got me into this…situation…would at least help me find one," he rambled.

"You know, Castle, you could have just called and asked me to go Christmas shopping with you." Kate laughed inwardly. Only Castle would show up unannounced with coffee just to ask her to Christmas shop.

"I thought you may need some liquid encouragement," he grinned. "You're kind of scary before you get your coffee. If I'd known I would be waking you up, I would have waited til later. Although….I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have wanted to miss the hotness of you sitting here drinking coffee with my shirt on," he joked.

Kate struggled not to blush again. "Cut it out, Castle! It's just a shirt. Like most people, I like to sleep in comfy oversized shirts." Comfy? Shit, I just admitted it was comfy. I've got to down some more caffeine before I say anything else ridiculously embarrassing this morning, she thought.

Castle noticed that she'd unintentionally admitted his shirt was comfy but he decided to let it drop. She looked far too cute to piss her off this early.

"So detective, will you accompany me on my journey to find the perfect elf costume today?" he asked.

She pondered for a minute. She hadn't planned on doing anything in particular during the day except for a little Christmas shopping, herself. It'd be nice to have some company.

"Sure, why not." she agreed. A day of shopping with Castle could be fun right?

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><p><strong>This is the first time I've written anything more than a one-shot so if you have any suggestionsreviews/comments I really appreciate them all! I have some ideas for upcoming chapters but any ideas are welcome :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has made this story a favorite and/or reviewed! You guys inspire me to keep updating! I hope everyone is enjoying. I welcome all reviews/suggestions because I'm super new to this!

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I still wish these were my characters. Sadly, they are not :) **

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><p>Kate was reaching for her keys when she felt Castle grab her hand. Her heart jumped in her chest at the unexpected contact. She looked up questioningly as he said, "You're not driving us today, Beckett. I've got it covered! It is <em>my<em>journey for the perfect costume, remember?" She noticed his hand was lingering on hers and she momentarily forgot all about her keys. But then, just as soon as she noticed it, the hand was gone and she wondered if she'd imagined the extra contact. It was going to be a long day.

She started to protest but he cut her off. "Before you go all super detective on me and try to argue about driving, you should know upfront that I've planned out the most Christmas'y shopping day of all Christmas shopping days! And if you'll promise to follow my master plan, I promise that it'll be the most fun day off you've had in a while!" he rambled.

Kate tried to hold back a grin. She couldn't help it though, his cheerfulness was starting to rub off on her. She liked to play up her always in control, no nonsense attitude but, there was something she loved about how she could just relax with Castle. It was refreshing. He didn't have to know that though. So she faked a sigh and said, "Fine, Castle but, if I'm going to go along with whatever crazy plans you have for today, then we also have to go see a few of my favorite Christmas places too. Deal?"

Castle beamed. He was thrilled she was being so agreeable this morning. He wanted nothing more than to take her any and everywhere she wanted to go. But, she didn't have to know quite that much. "Deal! Your Christmas wishes shall all be granted, my dear detective," he said as he waggled his eyebrows at her. "Now, our sleigh awaits!"

As they walked outside her apartment, Kate noticed that Castle had a limo waiting on the curb. Kate tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle when she saw that it had been decorated to look like a reindeer. "Really, Castle? You weren't joking about the sleigh, huh?"

"I told you, Kate! The most Christmas'y of Christmas shopping days! And don't pretend you don't love it."

She just shook her head at him and climbed into the car. She wasn't, however, prepared for the inside decorations because the tinted windows had hidden Castle's work. She gasped as she took in how pretty it was. There were tiny white lights strung all around the interior ceiling, as well as a flat screen TV projecting a wooden fireplace. In the background soft instrumental Christmas music was playing. Leave it to Castle to find a way to improve a limo.

"Is it Christmas'y enough for you, Detective?" he asked.

"Well, Castle, I'm pretty sure this is the most…._Christmas__'__y_…limo I have ever ridden in." she responded. "But yes, I love it," she added.

"Great! Then, we're ready for a costume change!" he said with a smile. "Oh, and before you freak out, just remember you promised to go along with my master plan," he added with a wink.

"Costume change, Castle? …I swear if you think I'm about to put on a sexy elf costume for you, I'm backing out of this 'master plan' right now!" Kate objected.

"I said, no freaking out, Detective," he smiled. "Besides, I'm not trying to get you into a sexy elf costume…yet." he teased.

Castle reached for a box that was sitting near them in the seat and proceeded to pull out two of the most hideous sweaters Kate had ever seen. The first sweater was neon green and featured a giant Santa. But, instead of being in his usual getup, he was wearing only a bright red speedo and a Santa had, standing on a tropical beach. Elves were in the background playing ukuleles. If possible the second sweater was even worse. Again, it was a matching shade of neon green with a Mrs. Clause in a string bikini while reindeer with leas pranced in the sand behind her. Both sweaters said, "Mele Kalikimaka" along the bottom.

"Castle, what in the world are those?" Kate exclaimed.

"Ugly Christmas sweaters of course!" he responded. "I got us matching ones to wear today! All part of the Christmas'y experience."

"I'm not putting that thing on! What the heck does Mele Kalikimaka even mean?" she asked.

"But, Kate…." he whined, "You promised! And it's the Hawaiian way of saying Merry Christmas, duh! Haven't you ever heard the song in Christmas Vacation?" Castle said and proceeded to break into song.

Kate looked at him like he'd lost his mind for a few seconds and then…burst into laughter. He really was a kid at heart, she thought. Singing Hawaiian Christmas songs and begging her to put on that absurd looking sweater. There was something incredibly charming and wonderful about him that was just way too hard for her to resist.

"Pleeeeeease, Kate!" he begged. "It'll be fun, AND we'll match! Perfect for our costume shopping!"

"Yeah yeah, hand that ridiculous thing over here. I swear if we run into anyone we know today, I'm going to kill you! I can just imagine what the boys would say if they saw these disasters you call Christmas sweaters," she said.

She hid a smile as she pulled the sweater over her black turtleneck and watched as Castle pulled his on. They really did look…Christmas'y. In a completely outlandish way. And also, very couple-like. She decided not to over think it for once. She'd promised Castle she would participate in his plans for the day. And so far, she was actually having a great time.

"So where are we going first, Castle?" she asked.

"You'll see soon, Detective. It's the perfect place to start!" he replied.

They spent the rest of the ride to their destination joking about how Espo and Ryan would look in matching sweaters and just enjoying each other's company. They couldn't see the limo driver smiling to himself as he looked in the rear-view mirror. "What a cute couple," he thought as he drove them toward Mr. Castle's first request for a stop.

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><p>Reviews? Suggestions? I love and appreciate your feedback!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hey everybody! Sorry it's taken a little longer for this chapter. I've been busy traveling over the holidays. I hope you all like the story so far and this next chapter! I'll try to update more quickly next time. And as always, I love and appreciate all reviews/comments/suggestions! I do have a plan for the story but, I'm always open to ideas. Thank you all for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Kate peered out of the limo as it came to a stop. "How did I know you'd choose FAO Schwarz?"

"Because it's the coolest toy store ever?" Castle exclaimed. "Are you ready to help me locate the perfect elf costume?" he asked while getting out of the limo.

Kate paused and looked up at him as he extended a hand toward her to help her climb out. Not because she wasn't ready to assist Castle in finding a perfectly embarrassing elf costume, but because she had just witnessed about 5 different people staring at Castle's sweater. She groaned inwardly. At least the day would be interesting.

"I know you love my Christmas decorations Detective, but I was hoping we'd continue the experience in…I repeat…the coolest toy store EVER," he said with grin.

"Yeah yeah, just remember how lucky you are that you've somehow coerced me into wearing this debacle in public," Kate said. She allowed him to take her hand and pull her out of the limo as he responded, "Debacle! Very nice word! And believe me, Kate," he said with a gleam in his eyes, "I know how _lucky_ I am."

Kate felt a blush creep into her cheeks and realized that for the second time today he seemed to hold onto her hand just a few more seconds than necessary. But again, the moment passed and before she knew it he was guiding her into the store.

If she didn't already know it, she'd swear Castle was still a child. His eyes lit up at the oversized displays of stuffed animals and toys. She couldn't help but laugh when he squealed, yes, *squealed* upon sighting a huge section of remote control helicopters and planes. "Do you think Alexis would like one of these?" he asked.

"Umm, Castle, I'm pretty sure Alexis is a teenage girl, not a 10 year old boy," Kate replied, rolling her eyes. "And don't even try to pretend you don't just want that for your own toy!" she continued.

"Fine! But, you know it'd be fun to fly around the 12th. Especially when you're being all boring, filling out paperwork," he sulked. Kate smirked at him. She could just imagine Gate's reaction to Castle flying remote control airplanes in her precinct. "C'mon Castle, let's go look for your elf accessories," she said, practically having to drag him away. "Oooookay, Detective, if you insist," he said with one final longing glance backward at the display.

Castle wasn't the only one enjoying himself in the store though. He noticed Kate smiling at the children playing on the life size piano. "Maybe it's a little cheesy but, I always wanted to do that," she said. "I remember watching the movie 'Big' with my Mom when I was younger and thinking it was the coolest thing."

"You've never played Chopsticks in here?" Castle asked with an incredulous look on his face. "We're fixing that right now!" he exclaimed grabbing her arm and pulling her out on the keys.

Kate tried to protest that they were way too old to be out there but, Castle was relentless. They spent the next few minutes figuring out which keys to step on and before long had perfected the song. The kids that had been stomping around tunelessly before looked up at them in awe, as though they were playing a symphony by Beethoven. A little girl tugged on her mother's sweater and said, "Mama look! They're so good!" Kate nudged Castle and said, "It seems we have an audience." After completing the song, Castle winked at the little girl and bowed.

The mother smiled at the two of them and said, "Thanks for entertaining my daughter, she loves coming here and playing around on the piano. You've just made her day." "Oh, and those are adorable sweaters," she winked and walked away.

Castle beamed at Kate. "See!" he said, "Ugly Christmas sweaters are the BEST!" Kate rolled her eyes but she couldn't help grinning. "Thanks, for that Castle," she said. "That was actually a lot of fun."

"Anytime you want to compose music at FAO Schwarz, my dear detective, I'm your man," he joked. Kate thought to herself that even if he was a little childish from time to time, he really was a great man. Who else could she do things like this with? Who else would spend a day just laughing and joking with her? Not caring what anyone else thought.

They continued searching for elf attire, stopping occasionally for Castle to admire a toy, while Kate would explain, "No Castle, Alexis does not need a $79 Batman and Robin statue."

Finally, they found a section of elves and Castle exclaimed, "Kate! I know what you need!" Castle pointed to a display of elves with books that said "The Elf on the Shelf."

"Do I dare even ask, Castle, what is an elf on a shelf?" Kate asked.

Castle sighed and looked at her like it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Well, Beckett, if I must explain…the Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas elf that watches over you each day from Thanksgiving until Christmas. He reports back to the North pole whether you've been naughty or nice, then flies back to your house and hides in a different spot each day. There's only one rule that you must follow and that is if you touch the elf he loses his magic! So you can't touch him. If you touch him he may not be able to fly back to Santa. But, you can tell him all your Christmas wishes and he'll tell them to Santa!" Castle rambled off.

Before Kate could reply he added, "Plus, you'd think of me in my sexy elf costume whenever you see him."

"Castle, first of all, that thing looks creepy! Second, I don't want a creepy elf watching over me and hiding around my apartment. Third, if you think I spend my time alone telling stuffed animals my Christmas wishes, you need some help! And fourth, I'm not even going to warrant your comment about being a sexy elf with a response." Kate stated emphatically.

"But, it's Christmas magic Kate!" he whined.

"It's CREEPY Castle! That thing better not show up on any shelf in my apartment or you won't be alive to wear _any_ elf costume!" she responded.

"Ok, ok, but don't complain to me when Santa doesn't know your Christmas wishes," Castle grumbled.

Kate rolled her eyes as they walked down the aisle toward the costumes. Castle perked up immediately when he found elf shoes. "These are perfect right?" he asked. Kate laughed, picturing him walking around in the pointy shoes. "I do believe those would work quite well." she admitted.

Kate gasped as she saw the costume hanging further down the aisle. "Castle, I'm pretty sure you need to get this," she said.

Castle groaned. "Kate! That's a _girl__'__s_ costume! I can't wear that!"

"Castle, the point isn't to look good! It's that you are the loser of our bet. So technically I should get to choose your costume. And, I'm pretty sure this is what you will be wearing!" Kate said with a smirk. "Besides, it doesn't say that it's for a girl. It just says adult."

"I will get you back for this Detective," Castle griped. "Are you sure there's no hope for you to dress up with me?"

"Only in your dreams...Ricky the elf," she teased. "Come on, let's go check out before you try to convince me Alexis needs a giant replica of the Millennium Falcon."

"They have one of those?" Castle gasped.

"Castle! Check out! Now!" she stated firmly, dragging him toward the register.

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><p><strong>I love reviewscomments/suggestions! Thank you guys for reading! Oh and if you want to see the shoes and costume I'm referring to you can go to the FAO Schwarz website and search for elf costume. They are the only two results. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Again, thank you SO much for all the reviews. They truly do inspire me to keep writing and I appreciate your feedback! This is the first fic I've written that's been more than one chapter so I'm still learning a lot as I go. This is my longest Chapter yet and I'm not sure how I feel about it so please let me know what you think! I hope you guys like it and are enjoying the story.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own these amazing characters.**

**CHAPTER 5**

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><p>"So, you remember your side of the deal for me following along with your Christmas'y day was that we would go to some of my own favorite places too, right?" Kate asked after they had been to several more toy stores of Castle's choosing.<p>

"Of course, my dear Detective, I wouldn't have it any other way." Castle said. "But, you wouldn't have wanted to miss the life size reenactment of Santa's toyshop at the North Pole would you?" Castle teased.

"Well, it certainly fit in with the reindeer ride you practically dragged me on." Kate responded, rolling her eyes.

"Need I point out that during that ride you had the biggest grin I've seen on your face since you scared Esposito in the break room and made him dump coffee all down his new suit." Castle retorted.

Kate unsuccessfully tried to suppress a laugh at the memory of walking into the break room at the exact moment Esposito was finishing making a fresh cappuccino. She hadn't meant to sneak up on him but when she'd said "Hey Espo," he'd jumped backwards, causing him to pour coffee all down the front of his suit. He'd glared at her off and on the rest of the day, claiming that he'd had too much coffee and was just a little jittery. She'd apologized. Although, she had to admit, it was pretty hilarious. Especially when Ryan and Castle addressed him as "Jitterbug" the rest of the day. Snapping out of her memories, Kate smiled at Castle and admitted, "Ok, so maybe the reindeer ride was a little bit fun."

"Face it Beckett, you can't resist my Christmas'y charm," Castle stated flashing his most irresistible smile.

Kate rolled her eyes and did her best to ignore the butterflies that formed in her stomach because of that smile. Damn that man, she thought. It wasn't fair how easily he could make her laugh. Or how blue his eyes were. Or the fact that when he looked at her like that she wanted nothing more than to melt into his arms. "C'mon, Castle," she said taking his arm, "it's my turn to show you one of _my_ favorite Christmas'y places."

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><p>"What is this place, Beckett?" Castle asked when they came to a stop in front of a nondescript building.<p>

"Patience, Castle, you'll see," Kate replied as they walked through the door.

The moment they entered the shop Castle and Kate were overwhelmed with a mixture of Christmas and coffee aromas. There were hundreds of flavored coffees on the shelves behind the counter and the most delicious looking cookies and brownies Castle had ever seen in the counter display.

Castle gasped and practically yelled, "Kate, you've been holding out on me all this time!"

Kate laughed and before she could respond to Castle, a middle-aged woman came out from the back room of the shop.

"Katie!" she exclaimed. "You finally made it. I've been expecting you for about a week now!"

"Hi Mrs. Peterson," Kate said smiling. "I'm sorry it's been a while. Work's been crazy," she apologized.

"No worries, dear! Oh my, those are adorable sweaters!" she said with a big smile. "And just how long have you been keeping this handsome man from meeting me? You didn't tell me you were dating now," Mrs. Peterson continued winking at Kate.

Kate blushed. For about the third time of the day, she'd completely forgotten about the damn "ugly sweaters" Castle was making them wear. But, boyfriend? Handsome? How in the world was she going to get out of this? "He's my um, he made me wear.." Kate sputtered unsuccessfully.

"Rick Castle," Castle said extending a hand to Mrs. Peterson. "I'm Kate's…Detective Beckett's partner at the precinct. We've been doing a little Christmas shopping, trying to get in the Christmas spirit today, hence the sweaters. But, I'm not sure she's as fond of them as I am," he said winking at Kate.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Castle…I must say, I do enjoy your books. Katie's told me about you but, it's lovely to finally get a chance to meet you." Mrs. Peterson replied.

Kate had finally recovered enough to say, "Mrs. Peterson was a friend of my parents. My Mom and her were in law school together but after practicing for a few years she decided that her real passion was to open a bakery. She also happens to make the absolute BEST hot chocolate in New York."

"So should I make you your usual Katie?" Mrs. Peterson asked.

"Yes, please! And one for Castle too. He has to taste it." Kate said.

"Just a few minutes and I'll bring it right out my dear. You two just make yourselves cozy," Mrs. Peterson said.

Kate and Castle sat down at a table in the corner of the room. Castle looked around taking in the shop. There were bookshelves with used books; tables with old board games and a microphone stand by the window.

"This place is great, Beckett," Castle said. "I love it."

"I love it too, I just wish I could get over here more often. Mrs. Peterson is sweet and you're going to love the hot chocolate. I've been meaning to bring you here for a while, it's just so far the Precinct I only get over here every couple of months," Kate said.

They chatted for a few more minutes. Kate telling Castle about times her Mom would bring her to the shop. Johanna would read through her case files while Kate would choose a book and curl up in bean bag chair and sip on hot chocolate. Castle watched as Kate's eyes lit up at the memories. She was so beautiful when she allowed her to relax like this. He loved seeing her so happy and free like she had been all day. Yes, he thought, making her spend a Christmas'y day with him had been a great idea.

Mrs. Peterson brought them their hot chocolate and a plate with peanut butter cookies topped with Hershey kisses. "I need to run get something out of the oven and then we need to catch up," Mrs. Peterson said.

Castle moaned with pleasure after he took his first sip. "That is SOOOOO good," he said to Kate.

"I know, right?" Kate stated, smiling. "It's peppermint hot chocolate. But, she won't tell me the recipe. She says she'd rather me come visit. It tastes like Christmas to me."

"I don't blame her," Castle teased. "If I didn't tempt you with coffee every morning, you'd never talk to me either," he said jokingly.

"Oh Castle, you know coffee is like our 'Good morning!' I couldn't wake up without it! And then YOU wouldn't want to be around ME," she laughed.

They sipped on their hot chocolates for a while in comfortable silence not realizing that Mrs. Peterson had overheard their exchange. Mrs. Peterson smiled as she watched them, hidden behind the door to the backroom. It'd been a long time since she'd seen that kind of smile on Katie's face, she thought. She knew Kate seemed to light up when telling her about Richard Castle, but after seeing them together her suspicions were confirmed. Katie may insist they weren't together but there was no denying that there was a chemistry and comfort between them that couldn't be hidden.

Mrs. Peterson joined them at the table after a few minutes, asking Kate how her father was doing and how work was going. When Kate and Castle finally left the shop a while later, they both still had smiles on their faces.

They spent the next few hours browsing stores, looking for gifts for the boys, Alexis and Martha. Before they realized it, it was almost dark.

"I have one more place, I want to go, Castle," Kate said. "Follow me."

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><p>"Christmas trees!" Castle exclaimed excitedly. "We get to pick a Christmas tree?" he asked.<p>

Kate was thoughtful as she stared at the row of trees. "Well," she said, "it's just that, I haven't had one in years and usually I don't care at all. You know, it's not that important to me, but…I don't know, you really put me in the Christmas spirit and, I…I just thought maybe I'd get a small one. And you've been so excited about everything today, I thought maybe you'd help me decorate?" Kate rambled, suddenly unsure if she'd made the right decision taking Castle here.

It was hard to believe she hadn't gotten a Christmas tree since her Mom's death. She'd thought about it before but when it came down to it she'd always been busy with work and the thought of decorating it alone wasn't very appealing. Come to think of it, she'd never even wanted to ask anyone to decorate before. It just had never felt right.

All her doubts faded away though when Castle touched her arm and said softly, "I'd love to, Kate." She turned her gaze away from the trees to look at him. His blue eyes danced at her, full of the excitement she'd heard moments before but also now full of something else she couldn't quite place. Love? And hope? Maybe. All she knew was that she immediately relaxed again. And whatever that look was, it was making her feel awfully warm inside.

"Thanks, Castle," she said.

He paused for a minute before asking, "Do you not usually get one?"

She sighed. "I haven't gotten one since Mom," she admitted.

Castle just nodded understandingly.

"We used to come here every year, even when I was in college. We had a tradition. The three of us would come and pick out the tree together. Then, Dad would get it into the stand and put all the lights on while Mom and I made Christmas cookies. We'd go on runs to the store for more lights if he needed them but we tried to mostly stay out of his Dad's way. Christmas lights were always a battle in the Beckett household. My dad was a little overzealous with the lights. Not that *you'd* know anything about that I'm sure," Kate said with a wink.

"But then, after Dad was done with lights, Mom and I would put on Christmas music and put all the ornaments on the tree while Dad watched. We all had our little parts of the tradition. It was my favorite part of Christmas every year," Kate said, eyes getting a little misty.

Castle was doing everything he could to resist pulling her into his arms. Simultaneously thrilled that he was getting to pick out a tree with Kate and touched that she trusted him enough to open up, he couldn't believe how lucky he was today. He loved that woman so much. In that moment he realized, once again, that he'd do anything to ensure that moments like these never ended.

Castle smiled at her and the next thing she knew he'd laced his fingers through hers and was saying, "Well, we're going to find the best tree here." He squeezed her hand while saying, "And Kate, thank *you* for letting me help."

He pulled her into the rows of trees, talking animatedly about the pros and cons to Frasier Firs and Douglas Firs. Kate laughed and said, "Castle, only you would be an expert on the varieties of Christmas trees."

"But, of course my dear detective, when are you going to learn to trust me with all your Christmas wishes?" he said with a sparkle in his eyes. Kate realized she was still holding Castle's hand but she decided to just go with it and leaned into him a little more as they continued searching for the perfect tree.

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><p>I appreciate all your reviews, suggestions, and comments! :)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: You guys are so amazing! Almost 100 reviews! I'm glad you seem to be enjoying the story. Thank you so much for all your comments and pleeeeease keep them coming. They really help inspire me. Plus, it helps knowing what you guys are enjoying. I'm going to try and post a little more often so that I can finish by Christmas and I still have a lot more in mind so again, as always, I really hope you like it! Here's Chapter 6...**

**Disclaimer: These amazing characters belong to Andrew Marlowe. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 6<strong>

"It's so beautiful," Kate said staring at the now fully decorated Christmas tree in her apartment.

"Mmhmm," Castle agreed his eyes focused wholly on Kate.

Kate smacked him. "The _tree_, Castle," she emphasized rolling her eyes in order to try and fight the blush spreading across her cheeks.

"We do make a good team though, you know?" Kate stated smiling at him.

"I seem to remember the last time _I__said_ something like that, you compared me to a dog, Detective." Castle joked.

Kate laughed at the memory. It seemed like forever since she had genuinely been irritated at Castle. If she was honest, even back then her annoyance with him had been more of a defense. Not wanting to admit that he seemed to "get" her so well, even early on in their unconventional partnership. That before even meeting him, he spoke to her through his books. Helped her through the darkest times. Back then it was much easier to cower behind the wall, where she felt safe. But their initial arguments had turned to joking banter; and now even the banter seemed to take on a deeper meaning. And what felt safe before suddenly seemed a lot lonelier. Not that she was scared of being alone. However, she had to acknowledge that she was growing quite fond of being perfectly un-lonely with Castle these days. In fact, days like today gave her hope that maybe she wasn't so screwed up after all. She'd followed along with Castle's plan, letting him take the lead and it was…fun. Everything with Castle was fun. So maybe it really was time to demolish some of those defenses. Because here they were, smiling at the first Christmas tree Kate had had in her home since her Mom's murder. And she was _happy_.

"Well, you do share a lot of the same qualities as a puppy, Castle," Kate joked back. "Hyper, playful…" Kate continued.

"You forgot irresistibly charming and perfect for cuddling," Castle added with a grin.

Kate rolled her eyes again but she couldn't hide her smile. "Thank you for this," she said gesturing toward the tree. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever put one up again and I kind of thought that even if I did, I'd probably be doing it on my own one day."

"I'm glad we did this, Kate," Castle said putting his arm around her shoulder. "I hope that you've had a good day. That was really my only goal…well, that and finding a ridiculous costume since I lost a bet to _someone_," he stated bumping his hip into hers, while his blue eyes seemed to sparkle at her.

"I have to admit, I had my doubts at first but your Christmas'y spirit seems to have rubbed off on me," Kate said nudging him back.

"Well, all joking aside, we _do_ make a good team. I mean look at us," he said gesturing, "in our *awesome* Christmas sweaters, perfect Christmas tree, and it's even starting to snow outside! Oh, we SO have to take a picture!" he said pulling her towards the tree and window.

Before she could protest that she didn't think the sweaters should be documented in a picture, Castle had already whipped out his iPhone and positioned them where the tree and the window would be in the background.

"Smile, Kate!" he said.

So she smiled. Because he'd called her Kate again. Because they did look cute in their sweaters. Because she had a Christmas tree and someone to share it with. Because every time she looked into those deep blue eyes she could barely catch her breath. She realized she wasn't ready for this day to end.

"Do you have any plans for dinner, Castle?" she asked tentatively.

Castle laughed. "You stole my line. I was just trying to figure out how I could convince you to have dinner with me. Or at least how I could get you to let me feed you before you kicked me out," he added.

Kate smacked him. "Whatever, Castle!" she protested. "I just thought, in continuing the Christmas spirit, we could order take out and find a movie on TV or something."

"That sounds great…just do me a favor, nothing with an Elf. I'm already having nightmares about the costume you made me get." Castle said cringing.

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><p>A few hours and a few glasses of wine later Castle and Kate were stretched out along Kate's couch under a blanket. Somehow during Meet Me in St. Louis, Castle's arm wound up resting around Kate's shoulders. Kate found herself snuggled quite comfortably into Castle's side. Before she knew it she was fast asleep.<p>

Castle couldn't believe how great the day had turned out. He knew it was always a risk showing up at Kate's. Whether she'd turn him down or want her own space. Lately it seemed that was happening less. And today had been no exception. More like _exceptional_. And here she was curled into his side. Letting him be there. That's all he really wanted. Just to be there. To be her always. So he'd take this as slow as he needed if it meant he could have that one day. Rick leaned over and kissed the top of Kate's head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. It caused Kate to stir.

"Oh, Castle! I'm sorry, the wine must have made me sleepier than I realized. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," Kate apologized sitting up straighter.

"No apology necessary, Alexis tells me I'm a great human pillow," Castle joked smiling at her.

"Oh, Alexis!…I didn't keep you from doing anything with her and your mother did I? Kate asked.

"Nope she doesn't need her dear old Dad that much these days," Castle half-joked.

"You know that's not all true," Kate replied. "She still needs you. Just in different ways. You're a great father, Rick."

"Thanks, I just know that she'll be gone soon. This time next year, she'll be off at college and I know I can't keep her as my little girl forever," Castle said wistfully. "She's always been around for Christmas and decorating and I don't know what I'll do without her," he continued with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Kate reached over and squeezed his hand. "She'll be home from school and you can still do all those things together," she said. "And hey, I know I'm no Alexis but maybe we could do some of those things like today," she added quietly.

"Really? You mean that?" Castle said, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, I do, Castle. Who else is going to make Christmas bets with you and get you to dress up like an elf," Kate joked.

"Yeah yeah, just wait, you'll be jealous of my costume when you see how good I look at the party," Castle retorted.

"Whatever, you say Castle," Kate replied while she stretched and stood up.

Castle did the same and said seriously, "Thanks for an amazing day, Kate. I should head home but I hope you sleep well. Just promise if you dream about me, that I'm a sexy elf and not in that hideous girly costume you picked out," he said winking at her.

Kate reached to smack him but he was already out the door.

"Oh and Kate, you can keep the sweater," he said with a laugh as he stepped out of sight.

Kate groaned and shut her door. She just stood there leaning against it for a few minutes, looking at her Christmas tree. She smiled. Today was the best day she'd had in as long as she could remember.

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><p>Hope you guys enjoyed! I love commentsreviews/suggestions! xoxo!


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thank you guys for the reviews. It makes me so happy that you're enjoying. Plus, it makes me want to write more. Which, in turn, makes me writer quicker and you get more chapters :) So please review away! **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own any of these characters. Even though I really wish I did!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 7<strong>

"So, lemme get this straight…you and Castle walked around shopping in matching ugly sweaters all day yesterday?" Lanie practically yelled. The ME's mouth was gaping open and she was giving Kate one of those "Girl, are you kidding me?" kind of looks she was so good at.

Kate groaned. "Come on Lanie, can we not announce it to the entire bar?" Kate looked around to make sure no one in the Old Haunt had overheard. They were in Castle's bar after all. She was fairly certain that anything the bartenders overheard in regards to Rick Castle would be reported back to him. The man had a ridiculous way of charming everyone who worked there. Why she'd thought choosing the Old Haunt when Lanie had suggested a post-work drink was a good idea, she didn't know. Especially considering she already knew how Lanie was going to react when she found out how Kate had spent her day yesterday.

"I'm just trying to picture you, Kate Beckett, badass NYPD detective, letting Writer Boy talk you into wearing what you just described!" Lanie stated raising her eyebrows. "Oh, I SO hope there are pictures involved," she added teasing.

"There's no way you're getting a hold of a picture Lanie Parrish or I will 'accidently' post a few of those pictures I have of _you_ from the Christmas party back in 07." Kate threatened.

Lanie glared at Kate for a minute. "You forget, I know how to handle dead bodies, Kate Beckett, don't tempt me," she joked. "But, seriously girl, how did he talk you into a day like that?" she asked, genuinely interested.

Kate smiled. "I don't know, Lanie. He showed up with coffee and asked if I'd help him look for an elf costume for the Christmas party. He sort of lost a bet to me the other day, so I figured I owed him. The sweaters were a condition of the day that I didn't know about until I'd already agreed. And it was actually pretty fun," she explained.

Lanie raised an eyebrow at her. "A bet, huh?" she stated, amused.

"Let's just say Castle is going to be decked out as a Christmas elf at the party this year," Kate said laughing smugly.

"Oh, I can't_WAIT_ to see that!" she said laughing.

Kate began to describe the costume that she'd picked out.

What Lanie didn't mention was that she was already fully aware of the Christmas bet. When Castle had walked into the morgue early yesterday morning without Kate, Lanie had been confused. He'd quickly explained that he was hoping she'd help him with something. Lanie laughed inwardly remembering Castle's rambles about brain freeze from a milkshake and something about Kate cheating on a bet. She'd made him hurry up and get to the point because she "had bodies to examine, Writer Boy," she'd said. Once he'd managed to spit out what he wanted, she'd actually agreed. Usually she'd be Team Kate all the way. Girls gotta stick together and all. But she had to admit she had a soft spot for Castle when it came to his complete adoration of her best friend. And all he really wanted was for Lanie to convince Kate to dress up as an elf too so they'd match. And she had to admit, the man was incredibly charming. So here they were, having drinks at Castle's bar, which Lanie had anticipated Kate would choose. And she had a plan.

"So you're making him dress up as an elf? I'm surprised he hasn't conned you into dressing up with him yet," Lanie said.

"Lanie, there's no way I'm dressing up as an elf! Gates would either A) Enjoy that way too much or B) Think I had lost my mind," Kate said. "And I don't even want to have to deal with the comments I'd get from Ryan and Espo." She shuddered at the thought.

"Or you could quit being a Grinch and help Writer Boy out so that _he_ isn't the only one with extra holiday spirit at the party," Lanie said while grinning at Kate.

"Absolutely not!" Kate emphasized.

"Why Kate Beckett, are you afraid you wouldn't look good in an elf costume?" Lanie teased.

"Well, umm…" Kate sputtered not really knowing how to respond.

"Girl! You'd look good in a brown paper bag! You'd knock the socks off that boy if you showed up in a sexy elf costume. And don't you dare try to pretend you don't want to look good for him!" Lanie stated matter of factly.

"Lanie! I would look ridiculous as a "sexy" elf. Elves are not sexy!" Kate said.

Lanie continued looking at Kate, amused. "Girl, how about we make our own bet?" she suggested.

Kate hesitated. She didn't know what Lanie was up to but it made her nervous. She knew Lanie thought she should have given into her feelings for Castle years ago. She also was well aware of how many of the officers at the precinct had placed bets on when exactly it would happen.

"What kind of bet do you have in mind, Lanie?" she asked.

"How about darts?" Lanie suggested. "We can do best out of three games. If I win, you dress up as a sexy elf. If you win, I'll dress up as one," she added.

Kate considered it for a moment. She knew she was excellent at the game. Plus, it seemed to be the only way she was going to get Lanie to drop the issue.

"Fine! But, only because I _always_ win at darts!" Kate stated.

Little did Kate know that Lanie was also excellent at darts. Many a college night spent out at the bar with her friends had given her plenty of practice. Sometimes it paid to keep such things a secret. You never knew when it would come in handy, Lanie mused.

They got up and walked over to the dart boards and Lanie decided she was going to have a little fun with this. She let Kate win the first game easily. Lanie smirked to herself. Kate had no idea that she was messing with her. Game two was closer and Lanie won at the very end. She knew Kate still wasn't worried. She was doing everything she could to look like she wasn't very good.

And Kate wasn't worried. Everyone gets lucky every now and then, she thought to herself after the second game. I've definitely still got this under control. Thank goodness, I won that first game though, she thought. Then, Lanie demolished her in the third game.

"What the heck was that Lanie Parrish?" Kate exclaimed. "I never took you for a ringer!" she huffed.

Lanie burst out laughing. "Girl, never underestimate your opponent." She winked. "Looks like you're going to be the sexiest little elf at the precinct. And Writer Boy is going to be in heaven," she said.

"You cannot tell him, Lanie!" Kate said.

"Oh, don't you worry girl, it'll be MUCH better as a surprise. Your sexy elf secret is safe with me. Now, let's get another drink so you can continue telling me about this Christmas'y day you had," she said guiding Kate back to their booth.

A few hours later, Lanie texted Castle. "Sorry, Writer Boy. I couldn't convince her. You're gonna have to be an elf alone this year ;)"

Just because she'd agreed to help him, didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun herself. Like she'd told Kate, this was going to be much better as a surprise.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hey everybody! Sorry for the week wait. I'm hoping to be done with the story by Christmas so keep an eye out for updates :) Only a couple chapters left! I really hope you're enjoying it. Thank you all so much for the reviews. They're like early Christmas presents to me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. Or Beckett. Or any of these other awesome characters. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 8<strong>

"Dude, you're still going to Lanie's party tomorrow night right?" Detective Kevin Ryan asked as he walked up to his partner's desk.

Esposito shrugged while still looking down at his paperwork. "Yeah, I guess so," he responded noncommittally.

Ryan shifted back and forth nervously.

Esposito finally looked up, annoyed. "What's your deal, bro?" he asked.

Ryan tried to compose himself a little. "Nothing man, it's nothing," he said and started to walk away.

"No way, bro. Get back over here. What's going on?" Esposito said, standing with arms crossed.

Ryan looked embarrassed. He rambled, "It's just, um, I know things have been a little…awkward…between you and Lanie and I was going to bring Jenny to the party and I um, I just didn't want it to be.."

"…Like the double date from hell," Esposito finished.

Ryan chuckled nervously. "Yeah, something like that," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking down.

"Don't worry about it man. To be honest, I'm sort of hoping that we can reconcile a little tomorrow night. If you tell anyone this I'll kill you but, I kinda miss her," Esposito said.

Ryan looked relieved. "Dude, you know you could do something for her at the party. Surprise her or something. You know, grand romantic gesture and all that stuff," he said half joking.

Esposito rolled his eyes at his partner. "You've been hanging out with Castle too much haven't you? Grand romantic gesture?" He laughed. "Twenty bucks says Castle manages to sneak mistletoe into Lanie's place and trap Beckett under it by the end of the night," he said.

"Forty bucks, he tries it in under an hour," Ryan responded. "Besides, they've looked pretty cozy the last few days, haven't you noticed?" he added.

Esposito followed Ryan's line of vision to observe Beckett and Castle in their usual places. Beckett was at her desk looking at her computer screen while Castle was seated in his chair playing with his phone. Except the chair was seemingly closer to Beckett's desk than normal, if that was possible. And Beckett had a hint of a smile on her face. Every thirty seconds or so one or the other of them would sneak a glance at the other then resume pretending to concentrate on other things.

"Mom and Dad do look happy today. Do you think something happened that we don't know about?" Esposito asked.

"Nah, we're detectives, we'd _know_!" Ryan answered. "Besides, they'd be all paranoid and trying harder to hide it if anything had actually happened," he continued.

Esposito laughed. "You're totally right bro."

Ryan laughed and walked back to his desk to finish his paperwork while Esposito sat back down.

Esposito looked back over at Castle and Beckett a few minutes later and saw Castle helping Beckett into her coat. She turned and thanked him, smiling brightly. Then, she reached over and touched his arm before the two walked toward the elevator together.

Hmm, he thought. Maybe there was something going on. He tried to fight the familiar nagging feeling he kept having lately. But it was useless. He was jealous. Jealous of Ryan and Jenny. Even jealous of Castle and Beckett. It was only a matter of time before they were together too. He missed Lanie. And Javier Esposito just did NOT miss a girl…well, woman. He was the tough, no nonsense guy. The one that didn't show up in crazy ties his girlfriend picked out. He wasn't going to follow Lanie around like Castle did Beckett, giving her puppy dog eyes. But…he really freakin' missed her. Maybe he _should_ try to work things out with her. And she'd be in a good mood tomorrow night. She loved parties and being social. She'd told him once how much she looked forward to nights like that because she quite obviously got little to no social interaction down in the morgue on a typical day.

Esposito had long since realized he wasn't going to get anything else done once his mind turned to thoughts about Lanie. He shut down his computer and picked up his jacket. "Later bro," he said to Ryan who was still working away at his desk. He needed to go home and figure out what he was going to do tomorrow night.

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><p>Kate was trying to relax on her couch with a glass of wine when her phone buzzed. She wasn't exactly relaxing though. She was way too keyed up. 24 hours until Lanie's party, she thought to herself. 24 hours until she looked like an idiot in an elf dress. 24 hours until Castle saw her in an elf dress. This was <em>not<em> her idea of holiday fun. She looked down to see Lanie's name on her caller id.

"If you're asking to come over and see this ridiculous 'costume' I have to wear tomorrow night you can forget it!" Kate huffed, without giving Lanie a chance to speak.

She heard Lanie laughing on the other end of the line. "Girl, you've got to calm down about this! And I _do_ want to see your sexy elf attire but that isn't why I'm calling if you'd relax for five minutes," Lanie stated.

Kate felt a little embarrassed about her outburst after that comment but Lanie had been texting her off and on all day begging to see her costume. She'd just assumed that was going to be the subject of the call. Not to mention her already fraying nerves over the situation. Damn bet. Why did she always have to accept a challenge?

Kate sighed. "I'm sorry, Lanie. I'm just nervous I guess. What's going on?" she asked.

Lanie paused. Kate would have sworn she'd hung up if she couldn't hear her breathing lightly. "Lanie?" Kate said hesitantly.

Lanie sighed. "Alright, girl I know I'm usually the one bugging you about you and Writer Boy but, I just got this text from Javier asking if we could talk tomorrow night and I'm not sure how to respond," Lanie said.

"Well, how do you feel about him, Lanie? Do you want to work things out with him?" Kate asked.

"I think I kind of do. But, all we've done is fight ever since…" Lanie said with her voice trailing off.

"…the double date from hell?" Kate finished for her.

Lanie laughed. "Exactly," she said.

"But I know you still care about him. Hey, how about _you_ dress up with me and surprise him tomorrow night! You talk about Writer B—I mean Castle being excited, I'm pretty sure Esposito would fall out of his chair if you dressed up as a sexy elf for him," Kate said excitedly.

"Nuh uh, no way girl! You're not getting out of this that easy. Besides, my party can't handle two sexy elves," Lanie joked.

"Fine, whatever. But, I do think you guys should talk. You know…without yelling or biting each other's heads of," Kate said laughing.

Lanie sighed again. "I know you're right. I do miss him. I don't even really know what we're fighting over anymore. Do you really think we could work it out?" she asked.

Kate considered it for a moment. "Yeah Lanie, I do. I know Espo acts all tough but take it from someone who doesn't like getting emotional about things…I'd say he misses you too. Sometimes it's easier covering it up by being extra defensive. You guys seemed really happy together. And it seems to me like you're arguing more because you want to be together and aren't than because you didn't work in the first place. I'd just hear him out. See where it goes. And…if all else fails, I could always plant some mistletoe in a key location," she added laughing.

"Thanks girl," Lanie said. "And who says I haven't _already_ hid the mistletoe in a key location so a certain Detective and Writer can start making out already..." she said in a sing-song voice.

Before Kate could protest she heard a click as Lanie hung up.

Kate groaned. How in the world had she gotten herself into this? She was just about to put her phone back down when she heard it buzz again.

"I swear you better warn me where the mistletoe is!" Kate exclaimed into the phone.

"Why Katherine Beckett, I didn't realize you were so anxious to get me under the mistletoe. But, no need to yell. I'd gladly help you find it," Castle teased.

Kate groaned inwardly. She really needed to calm down. That made two straight phone calls of embarrassment.

"Shut up, Castle, I thought you were Lanie," she grumbled.

"Ohhhh, well in that case I'd also enjoy helping you find mistletoe for you and Lanie too…" he said, continuing to tease her.

"Castle!" Kate warned.

Castle chuckled into the phone. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Besides, it's easier to tease you over the phone when I know my nose and ears are far from your reach," he said.

She could still hear the laughter in his voice. Even through her embarrassment and his acting like a typical man, it seemed to calm her nerves.

"Oh, don't worry, I can make up for that the next time I see you, Castle," she teased back. "You better guard yourself carefully, never know when I'll get my revenge," she added in a sultry voice.

"Feel free to include mistletoe in any revenge you may plan, Detective," he retorted.

She could just imagine his face as he said it. Those blue eyes gleaming mischievously. Her stomach fluttered a little as she imagined fully taking advantage of mistletoe with Castle.

"So, anyway I was calling to see what time you wanted me to pick you up tomorrow night," Castle said, startling Kate out of her thoughts.

"What? Why would you be picking me up?" Kate asked, confused.

"We are still going together right?" Castle asked hesitantly. "I mean, I thought you'd agreed to go with me the other day. You know, right after you made me lose the bet because you started drinking your shake way before me, Ms. Cheater," Castle rambled.

Ugh. She _had_ agreed to be Castle's date. How could she have forgotten about that. Maybe because she was so busy freaking out about having to dress up now too. Wait, why was he rambling? Kate wondered. Was he nervous too? This evening was quickly becoming a mess in her own mind. I have_got_to get it together, she thought.

"Castle, calm down. 8:00 would be great. I'm sorry, Lanie had just hung up when you called so I'm still a little distracted, that's all," she lied.

"Great! So are you sure you won't dress up with me?" he pouted. "We had so much fun the other day in our sweaters," he said, clearly back to his nine year old self.

Kate laughed. If only he knew what he was going to show up to tomorrow night at 8:00. At least she wouldn't be stuck being the only elf, even if it was going to be embarrassing in front of the boys and the rest of their co-workers.

"You're on your own Castle!" she stated. "And don't go getting any ideas about mistletoe either or else you'll be the next body Lanie is examining in the morgue," she exclaimed right before hanging up.

Kate sank back into the couch and took a long sip of her wine. She wasn't sure if she was more nervous about the fact that she was going to be dressing up in front of all of her co-workers or because she couldn't help feeling excited about going to the party with Castle. Her stomach fluttered again, the way it had earlier when she thought of the possibility of mistletoe. It was going to be an interesting night.

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><p><em>Please click review! It'd make me so happy to know what you all think of the story! :)<em>


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas/Christmas Eve everyone! I decided rather than try to rush the story, it's going to be another couple of chapters. The only downside is that it won't be done before Christmas. Hopefully, it'll be better this way though. I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful holiday! **

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Castle or Beckett or any of these characters.**

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><p>CHAPTER 9<p>

If the days leading up to Lanie's Christmas party had flown by, the day of the party was the complete opposite for Kate. She technically had the day off. However she'd opted to go in just to do some paperwork. She figured it would keep her mind off of what she was sure was going to be a huge disaster that night. Especially given the obnoxious butterflies she had in her stomach just at the thought of Castle picking her up.

The day had started well enough. Since she had plenty of time, she had gone to Mrs. Peterson's to get a grande peppermint hot chocolate. She'd managed to escape answering too many questions about Castle from the always-curious woman who had been such a great friend to her mother. Kate couldn't really blame her for being curious though. She'd never taken anyone to the shop, much less a man. Yet, she'd taken Castle because she knew he wasn't just anyone anymore. Friends. Partners. More than partners? It was too complicated to even begin to explain to Mrs. Peterson. So she'd just stuck with a vague explanation that they were close friends.

Kate decided to take the subway back to the 12th. Kate had a secret love for the riding subway. There was just something about the blur of the underground passing quickly by. If only life were like that, she had thought. Above ground, navigating the city streets could be complicated. She loved New York, yes. But you always had to dodge in and out of cars, people, and noise from every direction. It was cluttered. Too much like her own messy life, she'd thought. On the subway she could push her headphones into her ears, close her eyes, and get from point A to point B without all the chaos. For a moment she wished there were a subway for her mind. She so desperately wanted to get to point B. To break down that wall. To stand with Castle on the other side. She almost rolled her eyes at herself for being so lovesick. What was wrong with her these days? So much for the subway being a distraction.

Being at the 12th wasn't much better. By lunchtime, she'd already nearly knocked over her hot chocolate 3 times. Each time being startled out of her thoughts by officers coming over and wishing her an early Merry Christmas. Paperwork just wasn't cutting it. It didn't take enough concentration to keep her mind off of the evening. She had to put her phone into her desk drawer to keep herself from checking the time every few minutes. Around 12:45 her phone buzzed inside the drawer, causing Kate to jerk up in her chair, slamming her knee into the desk. She cursed under her breath. She really needed to pull herself together. Thank goodness she had opted for hot chocolate and not coffee that morning or else she'd be even more jittery. She took a deep breath and rubbed her hand over her knee trying to ease the pain, as she retrieved her phone.

_Please tell me you're not attempting paperwork on your day off. It's party day! Looking forward to 8:00. Think you can handle me as an elf? ;)_

Kate sighed and rolled her eyes. How did he know her so damn well?

_Trying to do paperwork. Without my partner, of course. I know exactly how to handle you, Ricky the Elf… ;)_

Let that shut him up, she thought.

_Seriously, get out of there. You can't possibly be concentrating when Christmas cheer is in the air…and when you're fantasizing about me in green._

Well, that certainly backfired because now she _was_ thinking about how he was going to look when he picked her up. Elf costume or not, she knew he'd look good. And he'd be charming. She wondered what he'd say when he saw her costume. They were going to look like a couple. Even she couldn't deny that. The only two elves at the party. Kate sighed again. This was pointless. At least at home she'd be able to pace around her apartment without people thinking she was crazy. She needed to get out of there.

* * *

><p>Kate was still pacing at 7:45. She'd tried to take her time getting ready so that she'd have something to do other than just waiting. She groaned as she looked at the little green elf hat that Lanie had snuck into her desk drawer the previous day when Castle had been out getting everyone lunch.<p>

She'd decided to leave her hair down, with loose curls under the hat. She checked her reflection for about the 10th time, smoothing down the sides of her short green dress. Well, it wasn't that the dress was _that_ short. But Kate had grown accustomed to dresses being shorter on her because of her height. Paired with green heels, she knew Castle would notice her legs. The costume wasn't so bad, she thought to herself. People usually told her she looked nice in green because it brought out her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare herself for the evening. It was just a Christmas party at Lanie's with her friends. No big deal. So what if she looked like an elf.

At 7:55 she heard a knock at her door and jumped. Well, here we go, she thought as she walked towards the door.

* * *

><p>Castle was nervous. There was no other way to put it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous before a party. And he had to attend a lot of parties. He'd been absolutely giddy when Kate agreed to go with him to Lanie's party. In her mind it probably meant nothing. But he really wanted to consider it a date. Ever since they'd been handcuffed together, it seemed they'd gotten even closer. He wanted to believe that the wall was starting to come down.<p>

He'd taken his time getting ready just to keep him from jumping in the car and showing up at Kate's way too early. He knew he looked goofy in his costume but he couldn't help grinning at his reflection. He was going to Lanie's party with Kate on his arm. Just to have that was worth dressing up in costume for the next month.

When he'd come downstairs, Alexis laughed at him.

"Someone has the Christmas spirit," she'd said cheerfully. "Are you sure Detective Beckett actually agreed to show up with you in that costume?" she joked.

"You wound me, Daughter," he said, feigning hurt.

Alexis laughed. "I hope you guys have a great time. Just try not to drink too much eggnog, like the year you went…"

"Alexis Castle!" Castle exclaimed. "We agreed not to ever bring that up again," he continued.

"Why, Richard you can't possibly expect the girl to be able to forgot such a traumatic experience, waking up to find her father passed out naked on the couch with only the curtains around him as a blanket," Martha said dramatically, as she strode into the living room.

Castle groaned and covered his face with his hands. "We ALL agreed to never discuss that again," he whined.

"Kiddo just because you don't remember it doesn't mean the rest of us won't have that memory burned into our minds the rest of our lives," Martha stated with a grimace.

Alexis looked equally disgusted at the memory. "You know what, Dad, I'm sorry I DID bring it up again," she said.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting out of here before you bring up any more embarrassing stories," Castle said walking towards the door.

"Have fun, Dad! Don't forget I won't be here when you get home, I'm staying over at Paige's tonight," Alexis said.

"Bye sweetheart, bye Mother," Castle said.

After a short ride to Kate's apartment, Castle now stood in front of her door. He hesitated before knocking. He wondered what she'd be wearing. He'd been disappointed that Lanie couldn't talk her into dressing up with him. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to look incredible. She always did. He just wanted this night to be perfect. He took a deep breath and knocked.

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><p><em>I love any feedback! Thank you guys sooooo much for reading! Next Chapter soon!<em>


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi everyone! I'm SO sorry it has taken me a long time for this update! Between school and the holidays I have been crazy busy. I feel bad that I left you all hanging for so long though. I hope you all enjoy this chapter (finally going to the PARTY!) and I should be able to update again much quicker. Only 1 or 2 chapters left :) Thank you guys for sticking with this story and I really really hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: These amazing characters do not belong to me. But if they did we'd already have little Caskett babies.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 10<strong>

Kate paused for a second as she got to the door, knowing that Castle was waiting just on the other side. She noticed her hand shaking slightly as it came to a rest on the doorknob. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the sudden onset of butterflies in her stomach. This is absolutely ridiculous, she thought to herself. It's just Castle. It's just…a date? Suck it up, Kate, she scolded herself mentally as she turned the handle and swung open the door.

* * *

><p>What's taking Kate so long? Castle wondered to himself. Or maybe she really wasn't taking long at all. It was hard to tell with the way his heart was pounding at the thought of seeing her. It could have been a few seconds or a few minutes for all he knew. He was about to knock a second time when suddenly the door swung open, revealing Kate. A very green Kate. An unbelievably sexy Kate. For a moment Castle lost the ability to speak.<p>

"Wow, Kate…you look, you look stunning," he finally managed to choke out.

And she really did, he thought to himself. She was wearing a deep green dress that reached mid-thigh with tall green heels. Do not stare at her legs, he scolded inwardly, forcing his eyes to travel upward. But that didn't seem to help. Her hair was down and curled in the way that always made him want to reach out and brush his hand across her face and tuck a strand behind her ear. Oh man, her ears…were those little green elf ears covering them? Oh my gosh, she was dressed as a sexy elf, he realized. And to top it all off, the green she was wearing caused her eyes to shine with the deepest color he'd ever seen. He wanted to write novels about that green. Hell, he HAD written novels about her. Yet, here he stood, reduced to near speechlessness.

Kate smiled shyly back at him. "I have to admit, look pretty good in green yourself, Castle," Kate said.

She attempted to disguise the fact that she was checking him out. Although the costume she'd picked out for him was downright goofy, all she seemed to be able to focus on was the way his white long sleeved shirt under the elf jumper seemed to cling to his biceps. Stop it, Kate, she scolded herself. She was broken out of her reverie by Castle touching her arm lightly.

"Shall we head over to Lanie's? Or do you need any more time?" he asked.

Kate shook her head. "No, I'm ready, let me just grab my purse."

* * *

><p>"Really, Castle? You <em>still<em> have the Christmas lights up in here?" Kate said raising an eyebrow at her date for the evening.

Castle grinned. "We are going to a _Christmas_ party, Beckett! I like to keep things festive," he stated matter of factly.

Kate suppressed a grin. The truth was, aside from her nervousness about her colleagues' reactions to her "costume", she couldn't remember being so excited about a party. And sitting here in Castle's towncar, close enough that their legs were almost touching; she felt the same contentedness as the day they went shopping. There was something about him that simultaneously made her heart race and put her completely at ease. She fought the urge to reach over and interlace their fingers.

"Thanks for agreeing to come with me tonight," Castle said after a few moments or comfortable silence.

Kate smiled at him. "It's the least I could do I suppose," she said. "I did sort of con you into being an elf," she added, along with flashing the coy grin she knew he loved.

Castle faked a gasp, dramatic as always. "So you DO admit to being a cheater?" he exclaimed.

Kate rolled her eyes. He definitely was Martha Roger's son. "A bet's a bet, Castle."

"I think you'll find that I _always_ make good on my bets, my dear detective…even if they do require me to dress in costume." Castle replied teasingly. "I have to say it's well worth it if I get to have you on my arm all night, Kate," he continued in a more serious tone.

Kate fought back a blush and the butterflies she'd been trying to ignore all day made a violent comeback. She thought for a moment about what to say before deciding to go with banter.

"Think you can charm your way into getting me under the mistletoe later, Rick?" Kate said lowering her voice and purposely dragging out the K in his first name.

Castle gulped noticeably and was about to reply when the car stopped. They had arrived at Lanie's.

Kate laughed to herself. If only Castle knew how little charming it would take to get her under mistletoe. She was the one in trouble.

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><p>Lanie was nervous. And Lanie Parrish did not get <em>nervous<em> very often. She liked that she was tough. That her glares could scare even the fiercest detective or officer away if she wanted them to. But here she was, in her steadily filling apartment, looking around anxiously as if Javier was going to pop out from around a corner at any moment. This was not ok. She fixed one of those signature glares on herself in the mirror.

Lanie Parrish, you will NOT act like this over a man, especially not Javier Esposito, she told herself.

She had to talk to him. In actual words, spoken at a normal volume. She let out a sigh. That was the real problem. She had to admit to herself they both had horrible tempers…and equally amazing passion. Yeah…she had to figure this thing out. Even she couldn't be stubborn forever.

Besides, she was sooooo looking forward to seeing whatever happened between Kate and Writer Boy tonight. So she plastered a determined look on her face as she strode back towards her living room.

But just as she was about to round the corner at the end of her hallway, she ran smack into something. Something solid and Latin that knocked her backward into the wall.

"Javier Esposito! Why are you walking towards my bedroom?" Lanie managed to exclaim, rubbing her elbow, which had collided rather painfully with the wall.

Ugh, I didn't even make it a minute without yelling, she mentally scolded herself. ,

Esposito jumped back with a sort of deer in the headlights look on his face while Lanie stood there crossing her arms across her chest, waiting him out.

He finally broke, saying, "I…uh, just was thinking maybe we could talk you know, before everyone gets here….if that's ok with you?"

Lanie sighed. Better get this over with, she thought as she nodded and pulled him back down the hallway.

Once they were in her bedroom, Lanie motioned for Esposito to sit down with her at the edge of her bed. No more being stubborn, she reminded herself as she took a deep breath.

"Javi, I'm sorry!" she said quickly at exactly the same time as Esposito exclaimed, "Chica, I miss you!"

They looked at each other incredulously, as if neither believed what the other had just said. A few moments passed in awkward silence before they both burst out laughing.

"Really, Javi?" Lanie asked cautiously.

"Hell yeah Chica, I know I've been kinda a jerk since that double date with Jenny and Ryan…"

"_Kinda _a jerk?" Lanie teased, putting extra emphasis on the word "kinda" with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok, ok, I've been a jerk but I really do miss you," he said while looking entirely too handsome. "And I was hoping we could maybe work this out," Esposito added as more of a question than a statement.

Lanie smiled. "You know I miss you too. And I've been equally stubborn. I'm sorry Javi," she said. "And I'm sure I can think of a few ways you can continue apologizing," she added in a sultry voice.

"Mmm, that's _definitely_ something I miss," Esposito said, his chocolate eyes growing even darker.

Lanie felt like a weight had been lifted. She knew they needed to talk more but that could be done later. After they enjoyed the party. After she filled him in on her bet with Kate and how amusing the rest of this party was really going to be. And especially after she showed Javi just exactly where that mistletoe was located.

"C'mon Javi, let's go…I have a surprise for you," she said.

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><p><strong>Reviews are the best presents ever :) Love you guys! Thanks for all your commentsreviews/and encouragement to write more!**


	11. Chapter 11

**First, I truly apologize for taking so long to post! Second, thank you all SO much for your reviews and your encouragement to write more. This has been so much fun to write a multi-chapter fic for the first time and I have learned a lot! I hope that you all have enjoyed the story and I look forward to seeing if you like this chapter. So finally, without further ado, here is the longest and LAST chapter of A Christmas Bet! **

**Disclaimer: Castle isn't mine! Even though that'd be the most awesomesauce thing ever.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 11<strong>

Castle still couldn't believe he was about to walk into a room full of New York's finest dressed as an elf. But then again, he also couldn't believe that he had a stunning sexy elf by his side. A stunning, sexy, and noticeably nervous Kate Beckett, that is.

He snuck a sideways glance at her in the hallway as they were approaching Lanie's door. He suppressed a chuckle as he observed her biting her lip and tucking a strand of loose curls behind her ear, in what was most likely an unconscious movement on her part. He couldn't help it though. She was cute when she was nervous. Hell, she was cute almost all the time, even when she was mad.

But he didn't want her to be nervous about tonight. Tonight was about having fun. It was about making sure they had more moments like the other day decorating her Christmas tree; watching the soft glow of the Christmas lights on Kate's face as it began to snow outside.

Castle paused for a moment, stopping just before they reached Lanie's door, and turned back toward Kate with the intention of reassuring her that it was going to be a great night. The only problem was that Kate appeared to be so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice Castle's sudden cease in motion.

Kate wound up stumbling right into Castle's chest, nearly toppling them both into the door. Castle instinctively wrapped his arms around Kate, trying to steady them both. But he wasn't prepared for the immediate jolt of electricity that shot through his body as a result of their sudden embrace.

He sucked in a deep breath, trying to ease his now racing pulse.

Apparently Kate was equally unprepared for the current that surged between them because she opened her mouth as though she wanted to scold him but instead found no words. She took a deep breath of her own as she tried to regain her composure but Castle noticed.

"C-Castle, you can let me go now," she finally managed to stutter. "Why the hell did you stop in the middle of the hall?" she added, trying to re-establish control of herself.

Castle took his time pulling back from Kate, purposely trailing his hands down her arms, until he reached her hands. He could swear he felt her shiver.

He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze as he said softly, "I just wanted to say, in case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight."

"Really, Castle?" Kate teased, smirking at him. "Quoting Pretty Woman?"

She rolled her eyes but Castle was pleased to note that there was a hint of smile underneath her smirk. She visibly relaxed, amusement creeping into her eyes as he winked at her. Now they were back to safe ground with their standard wordplay.

"Hey, you know I do pick up on a few things from living with 2 women," Castle said. "Isn't that one of the all-time greatest moviesever in girl world?" he asked.

Kate rolled her eyes again. "Let's go Prince Charming," she teased, nudging him with her shoulder as opening Lanie's door.

Lanie's living room was moderately full as they walked in. Castle could hear Christmas music playing from the stereo, a festive tone to compliment the twinkling lights strung around the apartment. He recognized a lot of the detectives and officers from the 12th, mingling.

Contrary to Kate's nerves and vivid imagination, no one turned around to gape her attire. Although, several of the detectives seemed highly amused as Castle's costume. Detectives Blackman and Reese, who had been standing closest to the doorway, had given him a thumbs up and a slap on the back, chuckling as they resumed their conversation.

After a few minutes, Castle spotted Jenny and Ryan entering the apartment. He braced himself for whatever razzing he was about to receive from Ryan. Somehow though, he was pretty sure that he'd have come to the party naked if it meant Kate would be by his side wearing _that_ green dress.

"Well, don't you too look adooorable!" Ryan said, dragging out the words and smirking with his arms crossed.

He looked Castle up and down, stating, "You make a pretty hot girly elf there, Castle."

Kate laughed at Ryan but her amusement faded quickly as Ryan looked at her with an equally large smirk.

"Don't even think about saying anything, Honeymilk!" Kate exclaimed, using the nickname she knew Ryan resented.

Ryan's grin disappeared immediately, replaced by a glare, while Jenny and Castle looked on amused.

"I wouldn't mess with Beckett, Ryan. Remember what I said about _the look_? Well, you're definitely getting it right now," Castle said with a visible shudder.

"Alright, alright!" Ryan said, raising his hands in the air, signaling his surrender. "But you do look mighty good in a green dress…Castle," he said winking, as Jenny pulled him across the room, shooting an apologetic look in Castle's direction.

"See, Detective," Castle began, "I've got your back." He smiled at Kate, squeezing her hand again. And, surprisingly, she squeezed back, smiling at him appreciatively.

"No Castle," Kate said, "We've got each other's backs."

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><p>Esposito had never been happier about a surprise in his life. "Now THAT was the best mistletoe experience I've ever had, chica!" he stated grinning at Lanie, as they walked into the kitchen.<p>

Lanie grinned back at him, about to respond equally enthusiastically, but was cut short as Jenny and Ryan appeared, greeting them.

"Hey man, Merry Christmas," Ryan said slapping Esposito on the back.

Esposito nodded back, "You too bro."

And then, there was awkward silence as Lanie and Jenny both tried not to stare at each other.

After about 20 seconds of what seemed like an eternity, both Jenny and Lanie nervously said, "I'm so sorry!"

Esposito and Ryan both let out deep breaths that neither realized they'd been holding and the entire foursome broke out into laughter.

"Thank you for inviting us to the party, Lanie! I really am sorry the last time we saw each other was such a mess," Jenny stated genuinely.

"Girl, I'm glad you both could come. I'm sorry too. Let's just forget that night happened and start over," Lanie replied.

"Does this mean, you girls are up for a re-do on the double date?" Ryan asked enthusiastically.

Esposito, Lanie, and Jenny all shot glares at him and groaned loudly.

"What, too soon?" Ryan asked.

Jenny rolled her eyes, Espo shot Ryan another menacing glare, and Lanie crossed her arms.

At that moment though, all four were startled by the sound of Kate's laughter ringing out from the living room.

Curious as always, the boys and Lanie peered through the doorway to observe Castle gesturing wildly with his hands, obviously imitating someone, while Kate was nearly doubled over laughing.

Lanie raised an eyebrow at the other three and said, "Someone is _glowing_ tonight."

"They look so happy together! Are they always like this?" Jenny asked.

"More like perpetually in denial of the fact that they're perfect for each other," Lanie said with another eye roll. "Always finishing each others sentences and sneaking looks at each other while the other isn't looking," she continued.

Espo and Ryan groaned. "C'mon Lanie, quit talking about Mom and Dad. It's gross," Ryan whined.

"Yeah, chica…I know we all want to win this bet but can we not talk about girly stuff," Esposito added.

Lanie smacked him on the arm. "A little romance goes a long way, Javier," she teased.

Esposito wrapped an arm around Lanie's shoulder and said, "You _know_ exactly how romantic I can be baby."

Now it was Ryan and Jenny's turn to groan.

* * *

><p>Kate couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard. Castle's imitation of Pearlmutter (who sadly had not joined the party) was spot on. She wiped at tears in her eyes, trying to recover as Castle grinned.<p>

She actually couldn't remember the last time she'd been to a party that she'd enjoyed so much. Of course she had to be honest, it wasn't the party that was so great. It was Castle. His joy tonight was infectious. Just as it had been on the day they'd gone shopping. She wanted to bottle up this feeling and never let it go. She was tired of making excuses and tired of walls. If this is what it felt like to tear down the wall, she couldn't even imagine the feeling of stepping over it to the other side.

She was so deep in her own head she hadn't noticed a rather cozy looking Lanie and Esposito approach her and Castle.

"Bro, that's a nice costume, did you let Beckett pick that out?" Espo asked Castle.

"Yeah, you know I lost a bet. It was only fair…even if she did cheat," Castle stated, winking at Kate.

"Remind me never to bet with you Beckett," Espo said feigning a shudder.

Kate laughed and joked back, "Not secure enough in your manhood to wear an elf jumper, Espo?"

"Hey now, I'm all man, isn't that right chica?" Esposito protested.

Lanie laughed heartily. "Sure baby, all man," she said stroking his back, placating him.

"Hey Lanie, how in the world did you convince Beckett to dress up?" Castle asked suddenly curious. "I thought you said you couldn't talk her into it!" he added.

Kate looked up surprised. Talk me into it? she thought.

"Wait a second? You asked Lanie to convince me to dress up with you?" Kate asked, confused.

Castle looked a little sheepish as he realized he'd outed himself.

"Well, I couldn't talk you into it so I thought it was worth a shot," he said nervously.

Kate rolled her eyes. Then, she realized the implications of what was going on.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, turning to Lanie. "YOU tricked me into dressing up with that bet!"

Lanie burst out laughing. "Well, girl, you know you'd never have agreed otherwise. You shouldn't have underestimated my skills at darts."

Kate glared at her. "That was not skills, that was you being a ringer!"

Castle and Esposito looked at each other confused.

"Wait, so you lost a bet to Lanie playing darts?" Castle asked at the same time Esposito said, "You have darts skills? That's so hot."

Lanie continued laughing. "Yes, I beat Kate at darts, and you can thank me later, Castle. And yes, Javi, I have highly impressive skills at darts," she said seductively.

It was Kate's turn to roll her eyes. "I'm still here, you know," she said.

"Hey now, you look amazing girlfriend. And you two do look good as elves. So quit your whining and let's enjoy this party!" Lanie stated matter of factly.

* * *

><p>The rest of the party passed quickly for Kate. Ryan and Jenny met back up with the four of them and they continued joking and talking well into the night. It was nice to be outside the precinct and truly letting go together.<p>

The party had dwindled down to only the six of them. After Jenny began yawning, Ryan stood up and announced that they were calling it a night and heading home. They thanked Lanie again for the invitation before leaving.

Kate snuck a look at Castle to find that he was already looking at her. The intensity of his gaze made her heart race. Those blue eyes. She could drown in them. She knew one thing, if he kept looking at her like that, she wouldn't even make it home without melting into his arms.

Melting into his arms, Kate? She thought to herself. When did I become so sappy? But the things that man did to her. Or more accurately, the things she was having trouble not imagining him doing to her were driving her crazy. Yeah, it was time to leave before Lanie and Esposito picked up on the fact that she was practically drooling at the thought of her and Castle.

At that moment, her phone buzzed in her purse, startling her. A text from Lanie, who had conveniently gone into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Lanie_: Girl, let Writer boy take you home before he jumps you in my apartment! What are you waiting for? And details tomorrow, please!_

Kate suppressed an eye roll. So much for Lanie not picking up on their looks. It was definitely time to go.

She nudged Castle and stated, "Let's let Espo and Lanie have some alone time." She winked at Espo.

* * *

><p>The ride back to Kate's apartment was filled mostly with comfortable silence. The twinkle of the lights that still filled the town car cast a soft glow on the interior of the car.<p>

Castle was in awe of how beautiful Kate looked. He wanted to wrap her in his arms again and pull her close. Tonight had been perfect. He hadn't seen her laugh or smile so much in ages. His only frustration came from the fact that as hard as he'd tried, he'd not been able to locate any mistletoe at Lanie's.

Who has a Christmas party without mistletoe? he thought to himself, as the lights of New York City passed by their window.

* * *

><p>Kate was nervous again. The night had been perfect so far. And she knew now what she wanted. But, did she have the courage to actually follow through on it.<p>

"Come up for some coffee?" she asked, as the car pulled up in front of her building.

"Sounds great, would you mind if I ditched this jumper?" Castle responded. "I'd rather not be a girly elf now that the party is over," he added, grinning at her.

Kate laughed softly. "I think you adequately fulfilled your end of the bet," she said.

Castle looked relieved as he yanked the jumper off over his deep green shirt and tan dress pants. He also ditched his elf shoes, replacing them with slide on tan Birkenstocks that he'd pulled from under the seat.

Once again, Kate had to drag her eyes from the now fully revealed green shirt clinging to Castle's chest and arm muscles.

She stepped out of the car, followed by Castle, and walked into the building. His hand seemed to automatically find the small of her lower back and she unconsciously leaned into his touch.

"I'm glad you asked me to go with you tonight, Castle," Kate said, almost shyly, as they rode the elevator up to her floor.

"I'm glad you agreed, Kate," Castle responded looking into her deep green eyes, seemingly even greener, enhanced by the dress. "Even if I did have to be a girly elf for you. There's no one else I'd rather have spent my evening with, elf costume or no elf costume," he added, gazing lovingly at her.

Kate laughed and led him into her apartment, stopping in the kitchen to begin the coffee making process.

"Here, let me," Castle stated, brushing his hand over hers to take the mugs she'd been reaching to grab from the cabinet.

Kate watched as he moved about her kitchen, seeming perfectly comfortable there. She leaned back against the counter imagining mornings with him as they'd get ready for work. Him making breakfast. Him bringing her coffee in bed. Her bringing him coffee as he wrote a chapter of his latest book.

He handed her a mug of steaming coffee and she was startled to see the way that he was looking at her again. So full of adoration that her heart ached.

Love, she was in love with Richard Castle. And she was tired of waiting for it to be the right time. Now was the right time. _THIS_ was right. She was going to follow through on her plan.

"Come here," she said quietly, taking his hand.

Castle's eyes opened a little wider, indicating his surprise at her touch but he followed.

Kate stopped in front of the tree, right where they'd stood only nights before, watching the snow fall.

What Castle hadn't seemed to notice yet (too intrigued by the fact that Kate was still holding his hand) was that Kate had hung mistletoe that they were now standing directly under.

"Just so you know, I had a really great time tonight too," Kate said. "And I want to thank you for everything. This," she said gesturing with her free hand toward the Christmas tree, "and this," she added, gesturing to the small space between them.

"You've been so patient with me," she continued. "I know I'm not the always the easiest person to be around. And I've made you wait so long. But, I just want you to know…what we have means more to me than anything."

Kate took a deep breath. Castle looked like he was in shock. He was about to say something so she put her finger up to his mouth, to still him momentarily, and further surprising him.

"Castle…Rick, I just want you to know…I'm ready. I'm ready and…" She paused taking another deep breath.

"I'm in love with you. I love you Rick," Kate finished, feeling like an incredible weight had been lifted from her shoulders. In love, so incredibly and deeply in love with this man.

"Kate," he gasped. "Kate, I love you too," he said pulling her into his arms. "I'd wait a million years to hear you say that."

Kate smiled into his shoulder where her head was now resting. She pulled back for a moment to look into his eyes and said teasingly, "Rick Castle, if you take any longer to notice where you're standing…" and glanced up towards the ceiling.

Castle startled and followed her gaze, breaking out into a huge grin. "Why, Detective Beckett, teasing me and leading me to mistletoe? If I didn't know any better I'd say you're taking advantage of-

At that moment, Kate's lip were meeting his own mid-sentence, silencing him in the most passionate kiss he'd ever experienced. He returned it with equal passion and intensity until the two were both breathless.

"Merry Christmas, Castle," Kate said gazing into his eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Kate," said Castle, as the two of them stood smiling at the tree, in the soft glow of the lights.

* * *

><p><em>Again, thank you all SOOOOO much for all your reviews and comments! I'd love to hear how you felt about the story and the ending.<em>


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